Under its standing officer with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), GGI and the CBSA evaluation team conducted an evaluation of the Agency’s Arming Initiative, a 10-year initiative to arm and train border services officers. The purpose of the evaluation was to examine the performance of the Arming Initiative, including the extent to which the arming of CBSA officers achieved expected outcomes, such as enhanced border security, improved officer ability to handle high-risk situations, and decreased Agency reliance on other law enforcement organizations. The evaluation was based on a review of documents and data, interviews and field research in three regions. Five recommendations were presented and accepted to CBSA managers related to training and equipping officers and addressing human resource issues associated with arming such as mental health supports and mitigating the impacts of arming-related accommodations on frontline service delivery. The full report may be accessed here.
